Just a trim

As the rest of Newton ages, accruing and dissolving businesses new and old and changing the city’s look, infrastructure and identity with each passing year, the barbershop The Razor’s Edge remains relatively unfazed by the passage of time, fully embracing its old-school decor, style and methods.

This enduring spirit seems to be common among most barbershops that managed to survive harsh economies, the evolving occupational landscape and perceptions of a rapidly declining trade over the years.

Apart from the carpet and the linoleum floor coverings, not much has changed at The Razor’s Edge since Paul Kool and Royce Sparks took possession of the business in 1988. But after more than three decades, the two longstanding Newton barbers decided to transfer ownership of the shop to their third partner, Shawn Wade, more than one week ago.

Although Wade has significantly less experience under his belt, he has been working alongside both Kool and Sparks for about 13 years. The former owners stress they are not retiring from the business and will still be cutting hair for customers in Jasper County.

Now that Wade has taken over, will the barbershop see any substantial adjustments to its interior design? Not likely. The Razor’s Edge has never left its spot along West Second Street South, and Kool admits he is not too fond of change. Apparently, neither are some of the shop’s customers.

A man receiving a flattop cut from Kool last Friday morning told the Newton Daily News from the barber chair, “I’ve been coming here almost 35 years. All I got to do is walk in the door and plop my butt in a chair. Don’t have to say nothin’ or do nothin’ — I get the same thing every time.”

Equipped with the obligatory barber’s pole outside the shop, The Razor’s Edge bears all the familiar tropes of an old school barbershop, as well as a few unique characteristics.

All three barber chairs inside The Razor’s Edge were purchased new in 1961 — when the building was constructed — and have not been replaced with any kind of state-of-the-art versions. Work stations are separated by wicker-esque-style medians and decorated with model race cars and other related memorabilia. Trophy fish and taxidermic wild game birds overlook customers in each corner of the West Second Street South shop.

The walls are all original, too. Dark, softball-sized splotches have stained sections of wooden panels behind the backs of the customer chairs, soaked through from decades’ worth of sweat and grease accumulated from the heads of talkative regulars. Many of those repeat customers from the previous owners had their own coffee mug stored in a small cabinet on the far end of the shop, which is still there to this day.

“We’re pretty retro around here,” Kool said.

Together, Kool and Sparks, ages 78 and 75, have more than 116 years of combined barbering experience, and they don’t expect to quit anytime soon.

Taking a break from tidying his workspace last Friday morning, Sparks quipped that Kool is one of the oldest working barbers in town. Without taking his eyes off the progress of his customer’s crew cut, Kool smiled and quietly countered, “And guess who’s the second oldest?”

Frequently joking in between or during session, Kool and Sparks are two peas in a pod, knowing each other since their school years at Lynnville-Sully. They describe The Razor’s Edge as an old-time barbershop, one of the few left in Newton — a place where folks would regularly visit for a shave or a trim or, more often, long and enlightening conversations about every topic imaginable.

Kool said there used to be several barbershops scattered all over town at one point, but now it seems like they’re “a thing of the past.” Wade disagrees and said there might be a slight resurgence of barbershops in the United States.

“Barbershops have been kind of making a comeback,” Wade said. “The barbershop is where you go to find out what’s going on in town.”

Regardless, Sparks said they still have fun at The Razor’s Edge. Although, he lamented, he and Kool had a lot more fun way back when they could light off “firecrackers underneath the chairs” to prank customers. There were plenty of jokes thrown around, too. Throughout the many years they worked at the local barbershop, Kool and Sparks said their favorite part has been being around the different generations of people who have walked through the front door.

Wade said, “It’s funny to see people that move away and come back like 20 years later and look at those two like, ‘Holy cow!’ or they come back say, ‘Hey I’ve retired, Paul, but you’re still workin’?’”

Yup. Still workin’.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com